Thompson Friday Forecast

From the Principal...Steve Morrill

It was good to see so many of you at Thompson’s Open House earlier this week. I am grateful that this event was able to take place. The partnership between home and school is so very important and events that provide the opportunity for parents and teachers to come together are powerful pieces of that partnership. Although with social distancing protocols in place for safety it did not feel completely normal, I think we all appreciated this small step back toward business as usual.

Our next opportunity for home/school collaboration will take place on October 7th and 8th with Parent/Teacher conferences. These two days will provide parents and their children the time to meet with your middle school teachers. Parents can sign up for an in person or virtual conference by following these directions. Please consider reaching out to connect with your child’s teachers as I believe the personal interaction between parents and teachers is one of the most important actions that can be taken to support our middle schoolers on their educational journey.

Have a great first weekend of fall~

Steve

Outdoor Education for 6th Graders

Our goal was to bring our 6th graders to Camp Duncan for outdoor education this fall. Unfortunately due to the length of time we would be on the bus, along with our current COVID mitigation efforts with social distancing, Thompson and Wredling have decided to cancel outdoor education for this year. We are sorry we have to do this, but we feel it is the best way to keep our students safe. Our 6th grade faculty will continue to look for and implement opportunities for team building on school grounds both inside and outside as opportunities present. Thank you for your understanding!

Attention Parents and Guardians of All 8th Grade and 7th Grade AVID Students

District 303 offers all students enrolled in 8th grade and 7th grade AVID classes the opportunity to take the PSAT 8/9 in the fall. The PSAT is a part of the SAT series of assessments that help guide students through academic measures of college and career readiness ending with the SAT taken in their junior year. The SAT can be used with most colleges as a part of the admission process.

Your son/daughter will be participating in the PSAT test on Wednesday, October 13th. Like any other day, attendance is important. If students arrive late to school, they will be held in the cafeteria until the window for one of the tests has closed.

Below are some helpful tips to help your child as they prepare for testing day:

Get a good night sleep
Eat a healthy breakfast
Be sure to charge the chromebook overnight

If you have specific questions about the assessment please contact David Chiszar (david.chiszar@d303.org) You can also find additional assessment information at https://district.d303.org/departments/assessment.

Michelle Dague

Assistant Principal

Now accepting enrollment for Choir, Band, and Orchestra for the 2nd Quarter!

Beginner musicians are welcome! (Note: No beginners for 7th and 8th grade Orchestra). And those students with prior experience (any grade) are encouraged to re-join band, choir, and orchestra!

We ARE singing and playing instruments every day at school! Try it for the 2nd quarter and see what you think! Please contact us for more information and/or to sign up:

Middle School Parent-Teacher Conferences

Middle School conferences are scheduled for Thursday, October 7th from 8:00 am - 8:00 pm and Friday, October 8th from 8:00 am - 12:00pm. Sign-up for conferences will be via the Pick-a-Time conference scheduler. You will have a choice of an in-person or a virtual conference in Zoom.

Sign-up Directions: (Click here for directions)

Log into your HAC Account
Click on Home
Click on School Links for ‘Parent-Teacher Conference Scheduler’
Only choose Q1 teachers

A few notes about sign-up:

Most conferences will be 8 minutes long with an individual teacher. There will be a 4 minute passing period between conferences.
Parents should not feel obligated to sign-up for conferences. If your child is doing well at school, both academically and socially, then you might choose not to participate in conferences. If your child is struggling, we would suggest that you do come to conferences.
You might only feel the need to meet with one teacher or just a few teachers. There is no obligation to meet every teacher.
If you wish to meet with the explore teachers, please sign-up to visit your child’s first quarter explore teacher(s).
You can sign-up for a conference with a teacher only one time. Our student services team (counselors, social workers) will be available if you would like to contact them directly for a meeting.
In some cases, a teacher may contact you in advance to set-up a conference time. That means we want to guarantee you a time to meet with your child’s teacher(s).
Students may attend conferences with their parent/guardian, following mitigation guidelines.
The Pick-a-Time Conference Scheduler closes at 11:59pm on Monday, October 4th.

We are looking forward to our time collaborating together. If you have any questions, please call the Thompson main office at (331) 228-3100.

Support for Quarantined Students

If your child is quarantined due to Covid, our teachers will send work to your child and work with you and your child as we always have when a child is out of school. We want to recognize that quarantine offers some unique challenges for our students.

We will be offering instructional support through a certified teacher during quarantine. Ann Rose, a recently retired D303 teacher will be available to support our quarantine students through Zoom. When a child begins quarantine, we will email both the child and the parent with information on how to access Mrs. Rose's Zoom for support. We encourage our quarantined students to access this instructional support!

Pre Arranged Absence Form

Students must apply for the privilege of using pre-arranged absence days through the

Principal/Assistant Principal’s office when an absence is anticipated in advance. Pre-arranged absence forms must be completed and signed by each teacher and turned in two (2) school days prior to the date of the prearranged absence.

The building principal or designee has the authority to grant up to five (5) days of excused absence per year for the following types of absences:

❖ Career Education Visits

❖ Participation in regional and/or national contests or awards

❖ Family Vacation-qualified by the phrase “accompanied by a parent”

❖ Special Religious Events

Any date which is in excess of these five days is considered to be unexcused.

TMS Pre Arranged Absence Form

SOS for Parents in the Trenches

October 6, 2021

Debbie Reber, NY Times bestselling author

Zoom Webinar, 6:30 pm; Recording to be posted

Click here to register!

When parents are feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and burned out, it’s hard to show up in a way that best supports their child’s development, especially if/ when our kids are struggling, too. In this practical and actionable talk, Debbie shares ten powerful “tilts,” a.k.a. practical ideas to help parents shift their thinking, responses, and actions in a way that will help them feel more confident and peaceful as they parent their unique children.

Supporting Kids Who Learn Differently: Back-to-School Edition

October 13, 2021

Debbie Reber, NY Times bestselling author

Zoom Webinar, 6:30 pm; Recording to be posted

Click here to register!

School always presents certain challenges for students who learn and think differently (kids with ADHD, dyslexia, giftedness, autism, anxiety, or other neuro-differences). But the COVID-19 pandemic has created even greater obstacles. Debbie shares ideas on how parents can best prioritize and plan in the pandemic-era school landscape. She also offers advice on how to support differently wired children’s cognitive, social, and emotional needs during this atypical time, while also taking care of one’s own emotional health and well-being.